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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: scale · swing · shower · perch · fan · saw · temple · field

  1. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  2. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  3. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  4. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  5. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  6. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  7. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  8. She's very handy with a ________________.
  9. When was this ________________ built?
  10. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  11. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  12. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  13. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  14. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  15. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  16. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  17. David sat on the ________________.
  18. He works in a ________________ mill.
  19. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  20. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  21. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  22. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  23. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  24. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. temple — side of the head
  2. scale — for weighing
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. perch — the fish
  6. field — a subject
  7. fan — to cool the air
  8. saw — the tool
  9. temple — a place of worship
  10. saw — past of 'see'
  11. swing — music
  12. swing — in golf
  13. scale — size or range
  14. field — for sport
  15. scale — in music
  16. field — farmland
  17. swing — to play on
  18. saw — the tool
  19. shower — to wash
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. temple — a place of worship
  22. shower — rain
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. shower — a meteor shower

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com